This project is about interesting people, from interesting places, doing interesting things today in Northern Ireland. It is funded by the Shared History Fund.
Did you know there’s a German guy surfing, paddle boarding and diving the Causeway Coast’s most treacherous waters today? Neither did we – until now!
Meet Hanno, born in the centre of Europe in small town Baden-Württemberg, nowhere near the ocean. You wouldn’t know it though, as you can’t keep him out of the water. Not only is he one of NI’s premiere surfers, having surfed up to 35 foot waves all around the world, but he also runs Free Dive Northern Ireland, where he specialises in helping people achieve their physical and mental goals by braving the treacherous waters of the Antrim Coast.
I think it’s apparent through Hanno’s interview that those mental and physical goals he’s talking about are something he has achieved. I can attest that Hanno is probably one of the most relaxed people I’ve met doing some of the most dangerous things possible. I swear his heartrate is probably about 30 beats per minute. For someone like me whose life more closely resembles Tweek from South Park, Hanno’s calm demeanour was infectious. I don’t doubt spending significant time training with him – whether finding your balance surfing or paddle boarding, free diving or snorkelling along White Rocks Beach, or attaining Nirvana in one of his Inner Peace Breathing courses – yields many benefits that can have a profound effect on many aspects of life.
Sure, I even gave paddle boarding a go while we were up there. By ‘a go’, I mean I went and fell on my fat ass enough times to realise it was time to start back up at the gym, so thank you Hanno! It’s about the journey, not the destination.
Or perhaps it is about the destination. We all know that above water the north coast boasts some of the best scenery the world has to offer. But it’s what’s hidden below water that people might find the most surprising. Not just according to Hanno – who has free dived and snorkelled his way around the globe, mind you – but also many of his customers, who have also explored some of the most glorious underwater regions this world has to offer, have stated that the Antrim Coastline offers just as much beauty as world famous diving destinations like Australia’s Great Barrier Reef – and with far less tourists.
I fell in love with Northern Ireland’s ‘underwater world’. While there’s certainly more welcoming above water environments around the globe with warmer water to swim in, what’s massively underrated about this place is what we have below the surface – vast kelp forests and caves that offer endless exploring; truly unique marine life, and colours you’ll hardly find anywhere else.
Hanno Windisch
Hanno, who already works with other local businesses, is now seeking to expand Free Dive Northern Ireland to include diving tours of the Skerries – a small chain of islands off Portrush’s coastline – and other nearby diving hotspots, so that locals and tourists alike can swim with local seals and further explore what here has to offer. He hopes that this will offer locals more employment opportunities to ‘get their feet wet’ in an industry with endless capabilities that could drive NI’s next big wave of adventure tourism, especially now that the pandemic is hopefully nearing its end. He already hosted a ‘Freediving Holiday‘ for divers wanting to explore sunny Tenerife earlier this year and will be working with this model locally to offer customers even richer experiences in NI’s waters.
Well Hanno, you’ve sold me on the idea. I’ll give it another ‘go’! I will need some of those breathing courses first though, as these first few weeks back at the gym have been rough!
But I promise you this: I will see you here again soon!
